


i always thought i'll be okay (and maybe that isn't wrong after all)

by moonlitsemantics (Mistropolis)



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Aro Kiibo, Aro Toujou, Gen, No Spoilers, aromantic positivity, projection city...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 08:54:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12701547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistropolis/pseuds/moonlitsemantics
Summary: Toujou and Kiibo go on a midnight ride.





	i always thought i'll be okay (and maybe that isn't wrong after all)

“Kiibo-kun, it’s after 12 a.m. I’m not sure if we will find anything on the street.”

Kiibo merely gives a noncommittal nod at that, fumbling for changes for the transport fee. Toujou looks as if she has more arguments in her, but then she gives a weak sigh and puts in her own.

The duo makes their way towards the end of the tram. The entire tram is empty of any passenger, but they both come to the conclusion to sit there, opposite each other. The tram starts quietly, the view outside bleeding into a gradual blur as it picks up speed.

“Kiibo-kun, I would love to fulfill any of your requests, I really do… But I have absolutely no idea why you have to wake me up in the middle of the night to go out here.”

Kiibo tilts their head so they are looking directly at the ground. One would expect a passenger of anything to look out the windows to admire the view outside, the shifting gradient of the sky and the changing landscape, and yet Kiibo seems to find more the plain, unpatterned ground more interesting.

Toujou decides she is using a wrong tactic and shifts to another. “Kiibo-kun, have you ever rode on a tram?”

“Not really. Papa doesn’t let me get on much transportation at all. Usually, we ride in his SUV.”

SUV?... Toujou swallows down her questions. What a roboticist professor’s personal ride is should be of no concern for her. “Then, may I ask, is the reason for you to ride on a tram now because of your curiosity?”

Kiibo shakes their head.

“Then… Is it, a bug in your circu―”

“That’s discriminatory of you to―Oh, what am I even doing?” Kiibo’s voice drops an octave, accompanying an exasperated drawl and putting their head into their hands. “No. It’s nothing like that.”

“So what seems to be the trouble?”

Kiibo does an unnatural swallow and continues. “Toujou-san, Valentine’s Day is coming.”

“... And?”

“And, all our classmates are excited and I know that at least some of them are going to confess to each other and they will finally have a shot at love.”

A light bulb turns on in Toujou’s head. “Oh. _Oh._ Kiibo-kun, I’m so sorry for just insinuating that you are not capable of controlling your own emotions.”

“No offense taken.”

“So may I ask, who do you have a crush on?”

The tram retains silence for only a few moments before an unholy screech slithers its way out of Kiibo’s mouth.

Toujou rushes to Kiibo’s side and puts her hands down on her shoulders, in a hopefully reassuring gesture. “Kiibo-kun! Please stop screaming! Can you tell me what exactly is wrong with that?”

“I’m, I’m okay Toujou-san, can you please?” Toujou removes her hands and gets back to her seat in a flash. This is rapidly turning into an extremely awkward situation.

Toujou waits for the silence to fill up the tram again, redirecting her gaze to the outside of the windows―the skyscrapers against one another like misfitted sets of stairs, the sky turning just a shade lighter when the streetlights manifest yet again―waiting, waiting.

Then Kiibo speaks up again. “So. Back to what I just said. It’s nearly Valentine’s Day, most of our classmates are all pairing up and confessions are coming. And, I…”

Toujou gives an affirmative nod as a prompt for them to continue.

Kiibo continues. “I’m growing highly uncomfortable about that. But it’s not because I have a crush on someone that’s already interested in someone else other than me, it’s just… I can’t feel myself falling in love with anyone and it’s really bothering me.”

“The fact that you aren’t falling in love with anyone is bothering you?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why. I guess for anyone else, if they find themselves in the same situations, they’ll just assume that the right person didn’t appear or whatever. And I know, Toujou-san, you are probably thinking that I’m just facing this dilemma because I do have a bug on that area of my AI or because I just haven’t met the right person either… But this feeling, I’m very sure it doesn’t exist within me.

I do think that Toujou-san can understand why this would be bothering, right? In a time when all we should do is celebrating our love for a specific person or people we have in mind… And yet here I am, stewing in my embarrassing lack of any romantic feelings.”

Kiibo stops after that. Toujou supposes that’s where she picks up. “Kiibo-kun. Is this related to a request that you might possibly have for me after all?”

“Yeah… Toujou-san, I hope that you can help me… Get back my romantic feelings. I don’t care who I am projecting them to, as long as the impulse is back, I’ll be satisfied.”

Toujou crosses her arms across her chest and starts frowning.

Kiibo takes that as an expression of deep thinking. “Is, is that hard to achieve even for―wait, who am I kidding? You are the Super High School Level Mai―”

“Even if I am the Super High School Level Problem-Fixer, I won’t help you, Kiibo-kun, because there is nothing to help you with.”

Kiibo blinks. “What, what do you mean? Isn’t it wrong and broken of me to―”

“To not feel any romantic feeling towards anyone? Kiibo-kun, there’s nothing wrong with that. People like that are called aromantic.”

“Aromantic?”

“Yes. Aromantic people can’t develop romantic attraction, and most won’t ever fall in love with anyone.”

“But, how can I be sure that this isn’t just some―”

“Listen, Kiibo-kun. I’m aromantic too.”

Kiibo freezes. Toujou? An aromantic?

“I know what you are thinking. Maybe I’m just saying that so you can feel better about yourself, but trust me when I say I am not. I really am aromantic, and I don’t find anything wrong with that whatsoever.”

“Doesn’t it bother you though? When you don’t fall in love with anyone?”

“Hardly. In retrospect, I don’t ever have to deal with any unwanted feeling, and that enables me to perform my duties better.”

“... Does it?”

Toujou smiles a brief smile. “Hmm, I suppose that makes me sound a bit egocentric and unfair towards non-aromantic people, but you know what I mean, Kiibo-kun. Not falling in love with anyone is completely alright. Think about it; are our lives only shaped by the people we fall in love with? Even for people who do find their lovers, they still have a life independent of their partners. We don’t necessarily need romantic love to sustain ourselves. For me, the respect and love you all have for me are enough.”

Kiibo’s thoughts fall silent at that. New ideas taking shapes in their head is not doing any wonders for them to comprehend what Toujou is telling them. “Does that mean, it’s really alright for me to not feel any romantic feeling towards anyone ever? I mean… What if I actually am not aromantic and I do find the right person?”

Toujou starts laughing at that. _Laughing._ “Is that really the primary concern on your mind right now, Kiibo-kun? That one day you find out you are not aromantic after all?”

“Wh―What, is that wrong?”

“It isn’t, though I truly do not think any of these should have been a concern for you in that way. We are always changing, Kiibo-kun. Maybe we fall out of certain habits, maybe we fall in love and fall out of love, and maybe even who we love changes to a whole different set of people instead. And despite everything, you are still who you always are, the person your friends and family love. Nobody can take that away from you. Only you define who you are and have a say on who you will be.”

The tram grinds to a halt, and the lights overhead start turning off. “ _This is the destination of this line. Thank you for choosing our line._ ”

“I suppose that means our little midnight escapade has to end, hmm?” Toujou walks towards the exit. Then she turns around. “Kiibo-kun?”

“Hmm?”

“... I’m honored to get to know you like that. Like a friend.”

Kiibo smiles. “Me too, Toujou-san.”

**Author's Note:**

> Words no one will say to me, I shall say them to me myself.
> 
> ... Basically, self-indulgent bullshit. Projecting, y'know? And as much as I ship saiibo and kirukaede... Aromantic Kiibo and Toujou are still important to me.
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated.


End file.
